Jan 5, 2015

Cast Helix

My third puzzle in my collection is “Cast Helix”. I got it
together with “Cast Heart”, but I decided to solve it after, as it is one
difficulty level above “Cast Heart” (5 out of 6 as per Hanayama’s ratings).
I think this puzzle is one of the most beautiful Hanayama puzzles (although,
most of them look very appealing - this is one reason I like the series). The
idea is to separate the small helix from the star (or flower, what it actually
represents). One interesting aspect of this puzzle is that the star consists
of two equal pieces, caught together in the middle with a small pin or
something. These two can rotate around the central pin, but cannot be separated
from each other. So, only the helix can be taken out completely from the
structure, which these two pieces form.

Thanks to the rotation of the two, there can be different positions on the
star. And there is one special place which can lead the helix to complete
freedom, away from the star. Yes, I solved this all by myself (after working
10 days on “Cast Heart”, I think I got some inertia and found the correct
solution all alone). Maybe that is the reason I like this puzzle very much. With
such a high level of difficulty, finding my way around relatively quickly, I think
“Cast Helix” deserves the following ratings from me:
Idea: 5
Implementation: 6
Experience: 5
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 5
It is definitely a puzzle which you won’t solve by luck (or if you do - it must
be pure coincidence and you have to pay attention before you remove the helix
completely from the star). Give it a try and have fun.